Not A Seasoned Fighter
by LoveWhatYouWrite
Summary: The Evil Queen and our Sheriff go head to head. Who knew that sword fighting was tiring? After a shared moment and an accident, maybe it's time to merge the Queen and Regina back together. Based in S6. Pre-SQ/SQ
1. Chapter 1

It was just as Emma was about to sit down that the bell above the diner's door signalled the arrival of the Evil Queen. She briefly looked down at her hot cocoa sitting on the table. For a whole week she had been looking forward to drinking one but something had always come up. Apparently this morning was no different. With a sigh, she looked back towards the Queen in all her velvet, seductive glory.

A familiar snarl twisted ruby lips before leather encased legs, sporting killer boots, propelled the woman straight towards the blonde; who couldn't stop her eyes from dropping to the necklace adorning a plunging neckline. Thankfully she was coherent enough to dodge the fireball thrown her way. Before she could retaliate, a stern shout drew both of the women's attention to Granny holding her trusty crossbow behind the counter. At the tilt of the older woman's head, the pair made their way outside. Battle stances were resumed when the jingle of the bell fell silent due to the door closing behind them.

Fireballs and bolts of magic shot from steady hands as they dodged one another's attacks. The Queen was caught off guard when a strong sensation gripped her throat and held her a foot off the ground. She gasped only for a moment before she fell heavily to her feet. Emma looked startled about what she had just done which gave her opponent the opportunity to return the favour.

"If you're going to do it, do it properly, dear."

"Let her go."

Brown eyes darted to the right, only to settle on ones that matched her own. "Oh look who it is, my **better** half," the Queen sneered.

"I said let her go."

"And I'm not going to so why don't you run along and pretend to be a hero somewhere else."

As she looked back at the struggling Sheriff, she was forcefully knocked off her feet and hurled to the side. By the time she was standing, Regina and Emma were side by side, ever the dynamic duo. The Evil Queen rolled her eyes in disgust at how domesticated and weak her other half had truly become.

"I came for you, Saviour or can't you fight your own battles?" With that and a quick twist of her hand, the Queen disappeared in purple smoke.

Emma looked to Regina, "She's right."

"No she isn't. Emma you don't have to do this alone. You have your parents, our son, the whole town. You have me."

"My parents, who are currently taking turns napping. The townspeople who only care if they're in danger. Henry, who I'm definitely not involving and you, Regina, I don't want you having to do this. If she wants me...for whatever reason she has today...I'll do it. I'll find a way to subdue her. I'll fix this." Emma looked at Regina with an emotion the Mayor couldn't quite place.

Just as she was about to argue, Emma disappeared in her own grey smoke. Thankfully, Regina easily followed the Sheriff's magical trail and so began a day that would not be forgotten.

 **8888888888888888**

Emma and the Evil Queen seemed to play a game of teleportation as the day progressed. They would appear in a random location throughout the town, hurl magic at one another and then the Queen would disappear with a flourish of her hand; only to be quickly followed by Sheriff.

Regina had trailed them as best she could until a phone call from Henry, informing her about Snow apparently missing, caused her to send out a silent plea that Emma would be alright; before making her way back to the loft. Henry and his concerns always came first and she had to trust that Emma would get herself out of any danger.

 **8888888888888888**

The day wore on, with the sun having an unkind bite in its rays for a few hours before storm clouds drew in. It was after a particularly heavy downpour, that the duelling pair emerged out of a warehouse shed into a passageway, not too far from the docks.

Earlier in the day, during a brief appearance in the forest, the Queen thought she'd use a sword to liven things up, only to find that the Sheriff matched her in skill.

Once again, metal clashed over and over, until they stood inches apart in a battle of strength. A small blast of energy sent them flying back from each other. The Queen landed on unsteady legs which buckled and Emma felt the impact of her behind hitting the pavement.

The two women eyed each other from either side of the passageway.

Emma noticed the Queen's sodden clothing; the torn and muddied hem of the bejewelled coat but particularly the corset which seemed to not be coping well with the heaving chest and stomach it encased. Her eyes took in the small details such as a missing earring, missing buttons off the coat; hence her ability to see the aforementioned corset, and how the Queen's intricate up-do was nothing more than limp hair plastered in disarray across her forehead etc.

Whilst she continued to peruse, the Queen asked out loud, "What are you doing?"

"Taking a break."

"A what?"

"Taking a..."

"I know what you said," she growled before pointing out, "But have you forgotten that we're in the middle of fight?"

With a hand to her chest, Emma replied in mock surprise, "No way. I thought I'd been running and poofing all over town, just for something to do."

The glare that was shot her way would usually be intimidating however, it seemed nothing but weary. Emma slowly rose to her feet and leaned slightly on her sword once she was upright.

"You'll blunt the point by doing that."

"Too tired to care, Regina."

"Don't call me that. I'm not her." The Queen crossed her arms over her chest, only to wince and return her arms to her sides.

"Sure you are or at least, you know...half of her. We'll find a way to fix that."

"Oh no you won't. You and your **charming** family can find something else." A small flame flickered around her fingers.

The Sheriff slumped back against the wall as it started to drizzle again; the Queen huffing in exasperation at the horrid weather they'd had to endure.

"Aren't you tired, Regina?" Emma sighed and took note of the pain radiating in her arms and legs; not the mention the twinge in her lower back. Apparently the adrenaline had most definitely worn off.

"Tired? Sheriff, I can last for a long, **long** time."

"Aren't your companions lucky guys then, though I'm sure you are left unsatisfied."

"Actually, Rumplest..."

"NO! Nope! You will stop talking right now. Let's call it a day." Emma went to move only to be shoved back against the wall of the warehouse.

Whilst her back protested, the Queen proceeded with, "Call it a day? This is a fight, Saviour. You die today."

"Go ahead, my arm's killing me. I keep myself in shape, sure but today has been something else. Just like in one of Henry's games, I'm out of mana and out of ammo. It's your lucky day."

The Queen took a good look at the Sheriff's dishevelled appearance; dirty marks covered her skinny jeans, holes littered her once white tank top, tiny nicks, some sporting congealed blood, littered her arms and of course her hair was a wet, tangled mess.

"What are they from?"

"I miscalculated at some point today and poofed into old Norma's rosebush garden. They look gorgeous but some of these hurt like a bitch."

Emma wasn't quite expecting the chuckle that fell from the Queen's lips, "Always the bumbling idiot."

"And you say that you aren't Regina," Emma smiled tiredly, "Go on, your Majesty. Let's get this over with. Not quite how my vision told it but can't be picky."

"I'm not going to kill you."

"What?"

"It won't be satisfying."

"Why, because no one's here to witness it?" Again, Emma was surprised when something resembling hurt flashed in the Queen's eyes.

Emma seemed to also notice the now partially revealed darker circles beneath her eyes and the slump in the usually perfect posture. "I'm tired too," the Queen admitted, "Robyn seems to enjoy crying throughout the night and well, perhaps it's been a while since my last battle." She shifted on her heeled boots.

"I remember what that's like," Emma thought back to her days listening to her baby brother, "Do your feet hurt?"

"Terribly."

"Come 'ere."

"What?" the rigid walls of her internal armour started to rise again, regardless of her exhaustion.

"Just come here," Emma sighed as she watched the droplets of rain, growing more frequent, hit then soak into the dark blue of the Queen's coat.

The Queen let out her own sigh before begrudgingly taking a couple of steps forward, only to slip slightly on the wet pavement, causing her to waver. The Sheriff's hand steadied her before sliding easily around her waist and pulling the Queen into a half embrace.

"Gees, this thing must weigh a tonne," Emma squished her fingers into the soaked fabric.

"You've no idea but I think the corset is worse."

"First thing to come off when home?"

"Definitely."

The Queen let out a sigh of relief when she was pulled closer into the Sheriff, easing some of her weight off of her feet. Regardless of the fact that she knew whose shoulder she was about to rest her head on, her fatigued mind couldn't seem to care.

"I still hate you, Sheriff," she muttered with as much venom as she could muster, which was apparently none.

"No you don't."

"You still owe me a fight." The tension in her shoulders and back seemed to dissipate, unfortunately the aches did not.

"Sure, why don't we schedule for Friday? I'm free Friday." Emma's other arm also came to rest on the Queen's lower back.

The Queen chuckled quietly, "I'll check my diary."

"You do that." Emma's head came to rest against the Queen's.

"If you tell anyone about this, I'll..." the rest of her threat was cut off by a yawn.

The Sheriff spoke through her own yawns, "You'll destroy my happiness, blah, blah, blah, yeah I know. Just five minutes, 'Gina and then this never happened."

After Emma slumped a bit more against the wall, the Queen's arms finally made their way around her waist.

"Make it ten, Emma," and with that, the Queen nuzzled slightly into Emma's warm neck.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Few Months Later**

Emma woke to the sound of a loud clap of thunder. Her bleary eyes landed on the streaks of rain running down the window; which were illuminated sporadically by lightening. Groaning when she barely moved her leg, she glanced around to try and find some sort of call button. Finding a remote, she waited for a nurse to come and quickly administer something to numb the pain again.

Once the nurse had left, Emma attempted to relax and fall asleep; only to notice a dark, shadowy figure looming in the corner of her room. She released a yelp of surprise which was quickly muted, only causing her eyes to widen and attempt to remove herself from her cot.

"Don't move," was hissed from the darkness; resulting in Emma almost tugging the needle from her hand.

"Stop!" Suddenly, the Evil Queen was lunging forward into the dull glow spilling through the small window in the room's door.

The Sheriff's sluggish movements ceased as the she glared at the intruder. With a flick of her wrist, the regal woman gave Emma back the use of her vocal cords.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Emma screeched.

The Evil Queen took a quick step with her palms held forward, trying to get the blonde to calm down. "Shhh. Someone will hear you."

"Someone will hear me? SOMEONE WILL…" the Emma's voice was cut off again.

"Do be quiet, Saviour. You don't need to alert the whole hospital of my presence," the Queen whispered, "Now I'm going to give you your voice back. Will you be quiet?"

After a curt nod in response, the woman twirled her fingers; Emma cleared her throat before starting a stare-off with the Queen.

When neither made a move nor sound for a couple of minutes, the pain medication made itself known, causing the Sheriff to slump down into bed again.

Through droopy eyes, Emma tried to focus on the other woman whilst asking why she was even there. "Are you here to kill me because you almost succeeded with your creeper stance in the corner?"

The Evil Queen scoffed. "I'm not a creeper. I was merely seeing the damage for myself; wondered how long it would be until you were on your feet again."

"Would you speak up?"

"I don't need a wayward nurse hearing me in here." The woman's hushed tones causing the Sheriff to squint her eyes at her.

"How about you come over here then so I can hear you?" Emma's words were beginning to slur together.

"That's not necessary."

"What?"

"I said that's…oh forget it." The Queen walked the extra few feet to stand at Emma's side. "Better?"

"Not really." Glazed green eyes roamed over the Queen's form. "I know," said the blonde before her fingers twitched at her side.

The Queen released an out-of-character shriek when she felt the elaborate dress she'd been wearing disappear; only to be replaced with a sheer negligee.

"MISS SWAN!"

"Shhh!" The Sheriff giggled as she watched the woman poof her dress back into place.

She growled in frustration when her dress disappeared again, along with the loosening of her intricate hairdo. At least this time her clothes were replaced with sensible, long pyjama pants and a shirt.

Emma spoke through a yawn, "Can't sleep in a dress, your majesty."

"What are you talking about? I'm not sleeping…" the woman trailed off as she watched the Sheriff awkwardly shuffle to one side of her cot and tap the empty space.

"Sheriff, what are you…"

"Just lay down, Regina," Emma demanded through another long yawn. "Come on, no more talking."

The woman stood there flicking her gaze from the bed to Emma's face.

A sleepy, "please," got her moving; sliding carefully in beside the blonde who appeared to be asleep.

Tanned fingers curled into the material of the Sheriff's gown as she tried to take in every part of the slumbering woman. Tears began to well in dark eyes as she remembered the information she had overheard from various townsfolk and even her other half; the latter by spying via a well-positioned mirror. From what she could piece together, the Sheriff had been called out to a disturbance at the docks early that morning. Beyond that, she'd heard the dwarves discussing a brawl between a few drunken fishermen who'd just docked. She didn't appreciate the broken bottles, winch hooks and the like being included within the retelling of the event.

Unfortunately, whilst Storybrooke's dear saviour waited for back up, she had been blindsided and knocked over a pile of scrap metal. From what the Evil Queen could gather, the Sheriff's leg had gotten tangled in an off cut of now rusted, razor wire. By the time Mayor Regina had gotten to the scene and used magic to send the drunken fools to separate holding cells, Emma had been passed out for an indeterminate period of time.

Now, here the Sheriff's laid with a bandage around her head and whatever else was stitched and bandaged beneath the hospital linen.

A soft murmur brought the woman out of her musings, "Can feel you staring."

That was all it took for a sob to break free.

"Hey…hey, it's okay. Come on, you don't cry over idiotic saviours," Emma tried for levity.

"I'm not crying, especially not for you."

"Good. I'd hate to think that you were turning soft."

Emma attempted to give the woman comfort by holding her hand. As soon as her fingertips touched the Queen's, the woman interlocked their fingers.

"You need to get well soon, Saviour. How can I kill you when you can't even stand on your own?" the Queen's voice cracked between quiet sniffles.

The blonde chuckled before pressing a kiss to the woman's forehead, where she promptly froze.

"Gina, I'm…shit I didn't…" Emma stumbled through an excuse she couldn't quite think of.

A firm squeeze to her hand and lips pressed against the bottom of her jaw made her already hazy mind, spin.

"I think we've battled across town and ended in each other's arms more than a few times. True, we were experiencing different levels of exhaustion but still."

"We've fought a lot but **that,** has only happened seven times."

The Evil Queen smirked, "You wouldn't happen to be keeping count, would you?"

"Of course not!" Emma became flustered. "I was saying it's not like we embraced and gave a pat on the back after every fight. Well, apart from that one week but I know it was the anniversary of your father's passing."

"You speak of it as though it wasn't me who ripped his heart out and crushed it."

"I wish you wouldn't do that. You're not that person anymore."

"I wish you'd stop confusing me with my other half," the Queen sighed.

Emma's response was barely a whisper, "I wish for a lot of things."

The two women remained silent for a few moments.

"I think perhaps you should get some rest," the Queen suggested, moving slightly to get more comfortable.

"Yeah."

"Emma?"

Minutes passed with no response. As easy as it would be to leave and definitely the wiser choice, the Queen decided to stay by the Sheriff's side.

* * *

Thick, grey clouds still hung low in the sky when Emma awoke the next morning. She could tell it was early and wondered why she was awake until she felt the dull throb at the base of her skull. Her guttural groan caused the slumbering Queen to move her hand, which was resting on Emma's stomach, in a soothing manner.

"Who'd have thought you were a cuddler?" Emma murmured as her hand came to rest on top of the Queen's; her brow furrowing when her fingertips hit hard leather.

The word, "Indeed," sounded from the other side of her.

The blonde felt the Queen grow rigid as she turned her head to the left.

"Regina? What are you doing here? It's early?" she questioned.

"Seeing you. In the arms of the Evil Queen no less. A distressed nurse called me, I can see why."

"And to put this thing on me," the Queen growled as she stared at the offending, magic suppressing, cuff on her wrist.

"It's not what it looks like," Emma attempted to placate the woman whose fingertips began to spark.

"Of course not," Regina started to rant as she made her way to the other side of the bed.

"The Evil Queen isn't in bed with you. The Evil Queen isn't pressed up against you, as though this is a regular occurrence."

"This," she placed her hand on the Queen's arm, about to wrench her from the bed, "is just a figment of my, apparently warped, imagination."

The slight movement caused the Queen to bump the Sheriff's injured leg, which was promptly followed by a wail.

"Emma." The two women froze as they spoke in unison.

"I enjoy you fighting over me but please, it hurts." Emma's distressing whimper sent Regina running out the door.

The Queen slid out of the cot as fast as she could.

"Don't leave," Emma called out as the woman hid away in the bathroom.

The nurse had been relieved to see that the Evil Queen had vanished and was happy to check Emma over and administer more medication. After mentioning that breakfast would be coming around in an hour or so, she left.

Regina, who had been leaning against the wall, walked across the room and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Are you all right?" Regina held Emma's hand between her own.

"They'll kick in soon."

"And the Evil Queen?"

The Sheriff sighed. "Regina didn't do anything."

"That's not, Regina. I'm, Regina," exclaimed Regina.

"You both are. Look I don't want to argue, 'cause my head already hurts, okay?"

"I'm just trying to understand."

Emma didn't like the dejected look, Regina was wearing. With a squeeze to the Mayor's fingers, she tried to explain.

"You know we've been fighting a lot lately and well, I don't know…she's just…there are parts of her that I…"

"That you?"

"I can't kill her anymore. I can't kill you," Emma spoke over Regina's shoulder causing her to turn her head.

The Evil Queen made her way to the other side of the bed and took a seat; gently placing her hand on Emma's upper thigh.

"I was willing to wait for you to heal, Saviour. What will I do with my Sunday afternoons if you refuse to fight?" the Queen smirked.

"I'll still fight, just maybe for instead of against you."

"Emma," Regina gained her attention. "She's our enemy. **You're** our enemy," she glared at the Queen. "And we will stop you. I don't know what you've done to her but I'll…"

"You'll do nothing. You're weak from too much time spent with those pathetic charmings. Plus, you don't have me," the Queen chuckled. "If I wanted her dead, I'd have done it by now," she sneered.

"Maybe you're trying to drive a wedge between her and us. Her family. I know you. Always up to something, always some purpose for everything you do. This is all a game, you don't care about her," Regina spoke passionately.

"Don't care about her? Who was the one who stayed with her last night?"

"Our son needed me."

"Of course," the Queen scoffed. "Always something more important for you to do than to be where a drunken buffoon is cracking a bottle across our Saviour's skull!"

By now both women were standing, leaning over the injured blonde.

"Don't you dare! I had no idea," Regina's voice cracked, "You have no idea what it felt like to find her like that." A traitorous tear dripped onto Emma's blanket. "If she hadn't …"

At the sound of the Mayor's choked sob, Emma spoke up.

"'Gina?"

Both women looked at her; one with tears in her eyes and one valiantly trying to keep herself together.

"How did you find me?" Emma looked adorably puzzled.

"You called," Regina husked around the lump in her throat. "You didn't say anything but I heard the commotion in the background and I just knew. I've never been more grateful for that stupid phone tracking app you put on our phones." Her attempt to wipe away her tears was futile.

"Thank you," the Queen whispered to no one in particular.

Regina looked stunned.

"Yeah, what she said," Emma gave a lopsided grin; the medication causing her eyelids to droop.

"You're welcome."

The Sheriff looked between the women and reached out her hand; only slightly surprised that they both took it.

"Can you do something for me while I get back on my feet? There's only one of me and it would be wrong to say what I want to say to one of you before the other, so."

"Emma," Regina and the Queen spoke in unison.

"Find a way back together. You're not the same apart and I'm sorry for agreeing to the split in the first place."

Regina watched the slow opening and closing of Emma's eyes but it was the Queen who instructed softly, "Rest now. We'll talk about this later."

"No, it's important. Promise," Emma grumbled childishly.

"I'll look, Emma," Regina offered.

"Okay," the Sheriff yawned. "Don't make me split myself so I can love you."

After twin forehead kisses, Emma fell asleep with her hand firmly between the hands of the Evil Queen and the Mayor, who both whispered, "Never."


End file.
